Category Archives: JOURNAL ENTRIES

We love introducing our new Nova collection to jewelry lovers all over the map. No matter who, when, or where, women are finding a connection here! They’re also finding the courage and intentional attitude they need to move forward with their personal and professional goals.

Until a few years ago, I was one of those people who let my life go on auto-pilot. Life is complicated: We all walk around happy and distracted, and sometimes, without even realizing it, we’re on cruise control. Everyone talks about how nothing good happens when you are in your comfort zone, but how and when do you realize that it’s time to move out of it?

There was a lot of turbulence before our flight was about to land. Everyone was screaming on the plane. Dallas was experiencing a thunderstorm, and we were stuck flying through it. My kids were with me and my son was worried. I was panicking, but at that time I realized that I needed to be there for him.

We have two more weekends to go (counting this one) until Halloween is finally here! If you have kids, you may be planning to spend Halloween evening or even the prior weekend attending to all sorts of family-friendly Halloween festivities. But fear not, adults: This weekend is yours! There is a bevy of sophisticated party ideas—from an all-out bash to a quiet night in—for a more mature crowd to enjoy the holiday. Here are some of our favorites.

It hasn’t been long since I returned from India, where I spent three weeks celebrating family and conducting some business, too. While I have returned with many treasured memories, one of my fondest remnants of this trip may just be the gemstones I acquired there—in particular spinels.

Lately I have been feeling like we are in an age of information overload. With so much available all around us—the accessibility is a good thing, it’s true—does this make our expectations about everyday life too high? Rarely do we enter a restaurant without checking its Yelp score first, nor do we take a chance on a movie without checking Rotten Tomatoes. Would it be better, even for a moment, to get back to the basics? Back to the small joys and simple pleasures of life, that are so often forgotten now? I think so.

As families around the country gear up for Thanksgiving, we’re reminded of the importance of honoring traditions. Some families practice traditions upheld through centuries, while others begin new ones with their young children. Some traditions are happy accidents, like that time friends of ours ruined the turkey and had to order takeout: They liked it so much, it’s been done every year since (true story!). Other traditions are engrained in the food—grandma’s recipe for homemade gravy, a staple no matter what’s on the table, from fried turkey to vegan tofurkey to turducken.

The name AYVA is derived from the monikers of my children- Ayesha and Varun. AYVA was founded in order to celebrate the joys of life and to keep the tradition of cherishing and preserving these wonderful memories through jewelry.